Starting in April, the tiny Southeast Asian nation will begin phasing in a version of Shariah that allows for penalties such as amputation for theft and stoning for adultery.
Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah told legislators today that the laws are a "great achievement for the country, and not a backward or old-fashioned step."
The plans have alarmed international human rights groups. Bolkiah said "people outside of Brunei should respect us in the same way that we respect them."